A Growing Fear
by cat-of-luck
Summary: A past traumatic experience of Syaoran evolves into a deep-seeded fear, culminating one day when he and Sakura are trapped in an elevator. Luckily, Sakura knows old memories are easily replaceable.


In the sleepy town of Tomoeda, its residents laid peacefully in their beds. Not a soul, nor creature stirred the placid was calm tonight, all but one.

A startled brunette awoke, the look of fear and affliction apparent on his face. A bead of sweat ran down from his temple as he breathed a sigh of relief. _Just a dream_, he comforted himself._ It was only just a dream._

He slowly rose from his bed, the forest-green blanket pooling around his waist as he sat up. With a shaky hand, he ran it through his sweat-dampen locks, ruffling the mop of chocolate brown hair. The white moonlight spilled through the slit of his curtain, informing him that it was still fairly early in the exhaled somewhat loudly, he noted, in the quietness of his room. As he pulled the blanket over his body, he closed his eyes to lie back inside of his lids proved to be more calming to his mind rather than the shadowy open of his room. He let his mind wander a bit, willing himself to think of anything, _anything_ besides his dream. Though he knew sleep would not come tonight, his mind drifted to the smile of a girl, a girl whose eyes he knew would match perfectly with the fabric draped across his body.

"Syaoran," a girl called quietly, "what's wrong?"

One eye peeked at the worried expression of the inquiring green-eyed girl. He opened his eyes and straightened himself in attention. Blinking remnants of sleep away, he shook his head and replied, "Don't worry about me."

"Please," she tried again, but he did not budge. She was about to plead again until she was cut short.

"Just a little tired," he assured her with a small smile. "Please don't worry about me." He leaned forward to cup his tea in his hands, gingerly drinking in the hot liquid. Sakura could only smile sadly, knowing whatever was troubling the young man, he would not divulge to her. His excuses ranged from training, to homework, to just being tired. However, Sakura knew Syaoran enough to recognize that this was not the case. The closest she has ever been to unveiling Syaoran's problem was when, after constant pestering, he let slip that he frequently has nightmares. Sakura looked up from her lap and to her surprise, the look on Syaoran's face expressed more worry than fear. Though having a deep resolve to help, Sakura knew she could not push the brown-haired boy any further than he wanted. Syaoran was never one to ask, but at that moment, Sakura wished so desperately he would.

Before she could try once more, a melodic sound interrupted her. With a disgruntled huff and an apologetic look, she answered her cellphone. Thankful for the distraction, Syaoran slumped against his chair, letting the noise of the mall food court become a distant hum. He found that in the presence of Sakura, he was calmer than he ever felt alone. And while he only meant to rest during her call, he could not fight off the sleep that threatened his body as he fell forward. Before he could even protest, his tired state took hold and pulled him into slumber. He was faintly aware of Sakura's hand on his, calling his name. Unconsciously or not, he grasped her hand and pulled it towards him, folding his free arm under his head to lie upon. And in that comfortable position, a smile surfaced.

A soft tug of his hand roused him from sleep. Unwillingly, he lifted his body from the table he was lying atop. One arm was numb from sleep while the other was sprawled across the table. He followed his arm and noted his hand was enclosed around Sakura's, who had an attractive blush running across her cheeks. The warmth of his hand swiftly brought him back to reality. Embarrassed, he released her hand, chastising his lack of thought. Sakura allowed herself a small giggle, as she knew Syaoran's actions were more from shyness than anything else.

Before Sakura could get distracted once again, she spoke softly to Syaoran.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I really must go home now. Tonight is my turn to cook dinner," she spoke with a sad smile. "I'm really sorry."

Syaoran shook his head at her apology, he opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura continued. "I know you haven't been sleeping well, Syaoran. That's why I let you rest for a couple hours."

_A couple hours, _Syaoran thought. He looked at his watch and sure enough, he's been asleep for almost two hours. He let out an aggravated sigh at his stupidity. He asked Sakura out for a reason, an _important_ reason, only to waste the date sleeping across the beautiful girl before him.

With a heavy sigh, he stood up from the table and took her hand, lifting her out of her chair. Together they walked out of the food court and to the escalators of the mall to lead them out. However, to Syaoran's dismay, Sakura stopped to read a sign by the unmoving stairs.

_Out of order. Use with caution,_ it warned. "It must have been the power fluctuation earlier. It happened while you were asleep."

"I'm sorry again," Syaoran said as he stepped on the broken escalator, pulling Sakura with him. As others walked down the crowded steps, Sakura stayed rooted at the top of the escalator. Though confused, he stepped off and followed Sakura away from it.

"Syaoran, would it be alright if we use the elevator? I didn't know it would be this late, and I really do need to get home," she pleaded, hoping to not sound as desperate as she felt. She did not want to make Syaoran feel bad, but his nap did put off her schedule. They were on the fourth floor and taking crowded escalators down would only make her later than she was now. If she did not get home soon, her father and brother would come home to an empty house with no dinner and Sakura did not like the idea of that.

The young man paused with inner turmoil. However, with one look at Sakura, he knew he would do just about anything to ease the worry from her face. With a small nod and a gentle squeeze of the hand, Syaoran led his way towards the elevator.

Sakura hurriedly jammed her finger on the down button and waited for the elevator's chime to signal its arrival. As it slowly descended, Syaoran was painfully aware of how much his hand started of sweat. Though the nervous act disgusted him, he could not bring himself to let go of Sakura, the only thing to give him any semblance of comfort. Without warning, Sakura pulled him into the elevator. He gulped as the doors slid close and the room became dimmer. _It had to be this kind of elevator_, thought Syaoran. The elevator was dark, with an almost amber hue to illuminate the cramped room. The thick metal doors only made the feel of suffocation stronger. The mechanical whirring with each passing floor distracted Syaoran from the confused look Sakura had towards him. The lights flickered for a moment before a loud clunking noise halted the elevator abruptly. The strong jerk caused Sakura to stumble sideways, prompting Syaoran to swiftly grab her flailed arm and pull her towards him, wrapping his free arm across the small of her back. And before they could make sense of what happened, they were plunged into darkness.

"Don't worry. Don't cry. I got you." Syaoran murmured into her hair. He sounded almost scared, she noted. Sakura's confused state heightened before the gravity of his actions fell on her. The worried looks, the misplaced reassurance, his tired state.

"Syaoran," she muffled into his chest. He pulled her so tight against his body; she could hardly make out her own words. "Are you scared of elevators?"

A couple minutes had passed and the pair opted to sit on the ground. Despite Sakura's protests that she was fine, Syaoran insisted he hold onto her. She blushed as he gestured for her to sit between his legs so he could wrap his arms around her. Sakura leaned against his body, allowing Syaoran to rest his chin on her shoulder. Although she enjoyed it, she could not help but wonder why he was being so protective. With the lights knocked out from earlier, Sakura felt a little uncomfortable in the darkness of the cramped space. Despite her discomfort, she knew she had to be strong for Syaoran. A metallic groan jolted the pair as the elevator descended slightly, causing Syaoran to strengthen his hold on Sakura, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck.

"Don't worry," she consoled, "everything will definitely be alright."

Although she knew she shouldn't, she smiled at the turn of events. Usually, Syaoran was the calm one of the two to appease the other half. Now that Syaoran was in need of attention, Sakura delighted in the fact she was the one to tend to his aching need of reassurance. And if there was something Syaoran needed reassurance of, it was that Sakura was there, safely within reach.

With some begrudging answers from Syaoran and her own intuition, she was able to decipher his odd behavior and the root of his problem. Syaoran had a fear, she discerned. While not quite phobia, it surpassed the level of ordinary fear. Sakura concluded it caused great anxiety in her poor wolf that he had trouble sleeping, thus his constant tired state.

The fearless Syaoran was afraid, and it was of this very room they were trapped in.

She suddenly felt terrible for the position she put themselves in. Workers outside were already alerted of the problem and were currently fixing it. _The power fluctuation earlier caused a shortage in the elevator_, they said. She should have known, but Sakura's distress of her family coming home to an empty house blinded her from any sense. She cursed her rash behavior, but remembered the poor boy clutching at her body. She was terribly aware of the slight trembling he created, thus prompting her to soothe is frightened spirit.

"I'm scared of ghosts, you know," she stated, nudging him at this plain fact.

She felt Syaoran breathe a laugh against her neck, giving her a strange tingle. She dismissed the feeling and continued, "But not so much anymore." She could feel his head lift up from resting against her neck. "Do you know why?" He shook his head to her question.

"Ever since I could remember, I was always scared. Touya would always point them out to be, his sixth sense allowing him to see things others couldn't. At first, he said it so plainly; I almost felt he was scared of them. I was scared too, but I think when he told me these things, he felt a little better. But as he grew older, the fear did too and he was no longer scared of them. But me," she paused, "it only grew more.

'There's two monsters in the room,' he would joke, but only later did he know how much it really affected me. He felt terrible, but the damage was already done." She shook her head. "One night it was especially bad. My father was sick and I had been hearing all sorts of strange noises. I remember crying in my room; I was so scared. That's when Touya came in and explained everything. He told me it was my mother visiting; she was worried about my father. He also told me that we were safe at home, that all the things I heard was just my mother coming to tell us that she loved us. And from then on, I wasn't so scared anymore."

Sakura leaned forward so she could catch Syaoran's gaze. "All the bad memories I had about ghosts were suddenly replaced with good ones. Just knowing my mom was close by made things a little less scary."

Syaoran turned to stare into the empty space before them, making sense of Sakura's story in his head. Sakura noted that throughout her recount, Syaoran's hold on her lessened, allowing her to untangle herself from his arms. With much reluctance, Syaoran released her and she turned to kneel between his legs, holding his face in her hands. At the calling of his name, Syaoran looked up to the deep gaze of Sakura's green eyes.

"It's okay to be scared, Syaoran," she said in a comforting tone. "But I can't help you if you don't tell me what you're afraid of."

A blush crept over Syaoran's face as he nodded at her words, his explanation caught in his throat.

"F-float," he stuttered, "remember the time you transformed The Float."

Sakura thought back in her mind. "Yes, I remember. I transformed it after falling in that elevator. But why…" She trailed off when she met his hard stare. She felt he was trying to relay unsaid words through his eyes, but she could not understand what he was trying to convey.

"Sakura, you fell," he stated, she nodding in response. "And I felt-" he stopped, pleading with his eyes for her to understand. She could only tilt her head in confusion, her signature phrase about to tumble from her mouth.

He sighed, putting his hands on her waist, prompting her to move from a kneeling to sitting position.

"I never realized how quickly things could disappear, how endangered your life really was, how useless…I really am..." he trailed. "That day when you fell down the elevator, I was so scared. I couldn't save you," he recounted to her. "It happened so suddenly; I've never felt so helpless. And for that moment you were gone, I thought you were gone for good," he paused though Sakura knew he was not done. "In that moment, I regretted _so_ many things. I knew I could not live without you…because I already realized I loved you."

Sakura's eyes widened at his admission; not realizing she was holding her breath. She could not speak the words stuck in her throat. She had never felt so horrible, yet strangely, loved.

"Syaoran?" she gasped, disbelief in her tone. Her fingertips traced tentatively along his jaw. She knew what he was scared of but she never imagined she was the reason why.

Sakura stayed quiet, his words permanently etched into her brain. Never in her mind had she imagined that moment to make such a deep impact on his life. Though it affected him so negatively, there was a small comfort in knowing he cared for her as much as she had him. With a strengthened resolved to help, a plan formulated in Sakura's mind.

"I'm here now, Syaoran."

Syaoran looked up at Sakura's words, her breath warm against his face. Her glassy eyes bore deeply into his eyes, but the smile upon her lips betrayed any sense of sadness. Syaoran cupped her face in his hand and inched forward at the call of his name, noting how her lips never looked so soft or so inviting than they did now. He looked up once again into her eyes and saw her nuzzle deeper into his hand. A tilt of her head was all the invitation Syaoran needed before he dipped down and captured her pink lips in a kiss.

It was gentle; it was cautious, and a tad bit sloppy, but Syaoran could only revel in the fact that it was perfect. As Sakura moved in tandem with his lips, he could feel the already broken barriers being obliterated. Syaoran turned his head allowing him more access as he deepened the kiss. Their breaths were heavy as each moved with urgency. In an act of boldness, Sakura ran the tip of her tongue along Syaoran's bottom lip. With parted lips and a deep exhale of desire, he invaded her mouth with his tongue, exploring the tastes. Every now and then he pulled back to nip and suck at the lips he dreamed of so often.

After a few moments of sweet-honey bliss, the lights flickered on.

"The elevators moving," Sakura muttered against his lips. Syaoran looked up in awe, at the moving elevator and at the moment that just passed between the two. She giggled at his wonderment, sneaking a quick kiss before the complete descent of the elevator.

Sakura stood up, heaving Syaoran with her. He dusted off her bottom, until he saw the playful grin Sakura was sporting. He abruptly pulled his hands to his sides in embarrassment, chastising his lack of thought again. Sakura laughed, pulling him into another hug.

As the descent of the elevator resumed, Syaoran noted how the cramped space no longer felt insidious; it almost felt sheltered. The dim amber lights no longer gave a treacherous aura, but more of a romantic glow, he dare thought.

As the doors of the elevator opened all too soon, Syaoran marveled at how the devious source of fear could do a 180 and turn into a place of comfort and solace. Before he could dismiss it as a dream, he turned to the petite girl beside him– the very reason for the change– bouncing on the balls of her feet. He could not tell what drove him to confess: the lack of sleep, his vulnerable state, the heightened emotions, or just those eyes, but he could not thank it enough. He went from taking five minutes to psyche himself up just to hold her hand to confessing his deep-seeded love for her in the span of less than 30 minutes. Though the jump was huge, it was very welcomed. A smile from Sakura brought him back to reality– pink and swollen lips the only evidence of what transpired between them.

"Are you okay now, Syaoran? Are you still scared?" She asked in such a loving way, it took all of what Syaoran had to stop himself from grabbing her again.

Sakura stepped outside the elevator, anticipating Syaoran to do the same. She tilted her head in confusion as he shook his head and made no attempt to move. Before the doors could slide shut between them, she was pulled into his arms again, his lips capturing hers once more.

* * *

A/N: Aw, no "I love you too" from Sakura? Rest assured she does love Syaoran, and he's well aware– or will eventually be. It's not included in the story because I couldn't find the right place for it without breaking the flow. This actually took a while to write and edit, surprisingly. It went through so many changes; I got tried of reading it. So excuse any errors.

On a side note, I noticed there are many stories where Syaoran has a clan with "Elders" in it. Though I'm aware Syaoran's family is referred to as a "clan," where do these "Elders" come from? I tried googling it with no luck. They haven't been mentioned in the anime, but I'm not sure about the manga. If you have any idea, I'd love to know. So many people use them that I feel like I'm unaware of something important about Syaoran.

Other than that, thank you for reading!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura._


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